CAMP DIARY: SUNSET CAMPGROUND
Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks
“Do behold the King Sequoia. Behold! Behold! Seems all I can say.” - John Muir
And that seems all Charlie and I could say after visiting as well. What a majestic place, I can hardly wait to return.
Included in this diary:
Sequoia & Kings Canyon Overview
General Info
Sunset Campground Review
General Info
Booking
Sites
Amenities
Attractions Near Sunset Campground
General Grant Tree Trail
Panoramic Point Trail
Park Ridge Trail to Fire Lookout
Other Attractions Throughout the Park
Lodgepole Visitor’s Center
General Sherman
Field Notes
Tips for visiting
Bucket List items for future visits
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks:
Location:
California! The Parks are pretty centrally located in the state. From Los Angeles, it will take 3-4 hours to get to the southernmost entrance of the Sequoias.
Seasons:
For beginner campers and hikers, I’d say Summer and Fall are the best times to visit! Winter is a little hard core for me personally, and most of the Spring as well. Basically, wait until the snow melts for a safe and fun visit.
Are Kings Canyon and Sequoia the same park?
Yes, and no. They were established at different times, but currently are jointly administrated by the National Park Service. Kings Canyon was previously General Grant National Park, but was renamed in 1940. The park's namesake, Kings Canyon, is a rugged glacier-carved valley. Kings Canyon sits right north of Sequoia National Park.
Sequoia National Park was established in 1890 to protect over 400 thousand acres of forested mountain terrain.
Overall, I think most people generalize the parks as “The Sequoias”. I know I did until visiting!
This guide reviews Sunset Campground, which is technically in Kings Canyon.
sunset campground:
Sunset Campground sits in Kings Canyon National Park in the Grant Grove area. Its central to much in the Grant Grove area, but about an hour to the Giant Forrest area near the Lodgepole visitor’s center and other attractions. We chose to explore the area nearest to us on our first full day and started the day early on our way out so we could travel south past lodgepole and the Giant Forrest before making our way out.
For those like myself with no or little experience camping in the winter months, the best time to visit would be the mid to late summer months, once the snow has melted. I want to note that this year the campground wont open until early July due to deep snow and hazard trees. This also makes the rivers and creeks through out the park something to stay mindful of.
How to Reserve:
You’ll need to keep an eye out 6 months in advance to reserve at this campground- so set that alarm! We visited in August and thought it was perfect.
Sites:
The campground is fairly large with 157 sites, and a few group sites. The best sites to watch the sun go down are going to be 50, 49, 41, 40, and 38. I’m sure anything along the west side of camp is great! By the time I booked our site, our best option was site 36. Luckily we made friends with our neighbors across the way and they didn’t mind too much that we were up in their space to see the sunset. That is definitely something to note— if you’re able to book one of the above sites, expect most of camp to be up in your business once the sun starts to set!
We enjoyed our little site. We were able to put up our hammock in between a few trees and pitch our tent with plenty of space. As you can see from the photographs some of the sites are fairly close together. Good to get neighborly. Each site has a fire pit and bear locker. Black bear sightings are frequent in this area, so its important to lock up any food and toiletries in the bear locker.
Amenities:
Bear Lockers: a must use! Not only to protect yourself, but the bears too! Leaving food and toiletries in your car is a big no-no. Please put anything scented in the bear locker to ensure everyones safety.
Toilets: Flush Toilets available! I believe there are six through out the campground. Our site was pretty much in between two and it only took us a few minutes to walk to either one.
Trash: Be sure to dispose of any trash! Receptacles are placed all through the campground, they also have a bear lock on them.
Firewood: Be sure to purchase in the area. There were a few areas through out that I noticed selling it, but we like to play it safe and grab from a local mom and pop or gas station right before entering the park.
Rangers: You will check in with the rangers station when arriving. If you are coming after hours they leave a list.
Attractions near Sunset campground:
Sequoia and Kings Canyon together make one pretty large park! Here’s what we did closest to camp:
General Grant Tree Trail:
Sunset Campground is a short 1/4 mile walk to Grant Grove Village and the Visitor’s center. There are a few lodges here as well. From here its approx 1 mile to General Grant Tree.
General Grant is one of the wold’s largest living trees. My pictures can hardly do it justice! You must see for yourself. A 1/3-mile paved loop trail leads to the tree, and includes other named trees and features, including the Gamlin Cabin and the Fallen Monarch.
In 1936, then President Coolidge named General Grant the Nation’s Christmas tree. As someone how loves Christmas I fully support the title!
Panoramic Point Trail:
Panoramic Point is just 15 min drive from General Grant. There is a parking lot and quick walk up the trail to the most fabulous panorama views. I believe the trail was paved, and most folks can get up there with ease.
Arriving at the top you are greeted by sweeping views of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Be sure to take a panorama picture at the top! You can see ours below.
Park Ridge Trail to Fire Lookout:
From Panoramic Point you can take the Park Ridge Trail to Fire Lookout. I loved this idea since at 2.6 miles each way, this would only take us a few hours, leaving plenty of time to continue exploring. We had intended to the take the scenic route to Park Ridge Fire Lookout, but accidentally followed the access road missing the signage that had fallen over! We were so bummed once we realized. See pic below! We felt strange about the route but could see the fire look out so kept going. Honestly, this hike is nothing to write home about on the access road (maybe just an option for an easier way back) so I wouldn’t encourage it unless you’re sure you’re on the trail. This trail took us under 3 hours with a stop at the look out for lunch, so if you are looking for a fairly quick hike past panoramic peak I suppose its still a nice trail. There was not a ton of build in elevation and was also fairly well shaded. I will report back if we ever go back and literally take the scenic route! LOL
other attractions:
Lodgepole Visitor’s Center
The Lodgepole visitor’s center was a great educational stop. Not only do they have great information regarding the park, but the rangers were also super helpful. They helped us find a few hikes and place to explore. There are also fun gifts and suvineers. We came away with an ornament and patch. the Lodgepole area also has a cafe and shop. We couldn’t help but come away with some General Sherman IPA.
General Sherman
General Sherman is the Worlds Largest Tree measured by volume! Visiting General Sherman is fairly simple. There is a large parking lot, or you have the option to take a shuttle during the busy season. It’s very straightforward to get down there, you just follow the signs! The trail is paved, and mostly down hill. Along the way there are exhibits explaining the history of the Sequoia Groves. Note the way back up is uphill!
field notes:
Tips For Visiting:
Book your campground 6 months in advance
During the high season, research and take advantage of the public transportation available to the bigger tourist sites
Follow leave no trace principals
To Do’s for Our Next Visit:
Crescent Meadows
Gear:
Tent: For car camping when we’re looking for a bit more room, we use this Coleman 4 person tent. We’ve had ours for a handful of years, so we own an older version of what is linked below. Its affordable, easy to set-up and durable. We expect many good years with this tent!
Camp Stove: Again, for car camping we bring this propane stove. It has 2 burners so we can make some more involved meals. If you only need to boil water then I highly recommend a jet boil. No doubt it’s a more expensive investment, but worth it. If you don’t have the cash and arent backpacking, the coleman gas stove will work just fine!
** keep in mind you will need to purchase gas for which ever stove you choose. I am not linking propane or jet boil fuel here because its expensive to ship. I know Walmart has Coleman propane and REI has jet boil fuel.
Camp Chairs: Charlie and I really enjoy sitting around the campfire at night! The sites all have picnic tables but we enjoy our time so much more when we can sit by the fire keeping warm and talking. We like these ultralight folding chairs as they pack up super tiny and are easy to put together.
